Chef Margarita Forés Passes Away at 65

(SPOT.ph) Chef Margarita Forés, best known for her restaurants that include Cibo, Lusso, and Grace Park, has died. She was 65.

Margarita's son Amado Forés confirmed the news of her passing via a heartfelt message in an Instagram post. "It is with a heavy heart that I share the sudden passing of my Mom, Margarita A. Forés. Our family is mourning this unexpected loss, and we kindly ask for your prayers during this time. We will be able to share more in due time."

Forés was born on March 23, 1959 to Raul Forés and María Lourdes Araneta. Her career spans almost four decades: it was in 1986 that she flew to Italy for a deep dive into Italian cuisine, which had her traveling from Florence to Milan to Rome to learn more about the country's culture and food firsthand. She explored the local markets, ingredients, and home cooking through three signoras. The learnings from her time there would form the basis for her restaurants and concepts in the Philippines: Pepato, Cibo, Lusso, Cibo di M, The Loggia, and Grace Park. 

Of these brands, the best known to the Filipino public is Cibo, Forés' casual Italian restaurant chain that recently landed on the 44th spot of 50 Top Pizza's 2024 list of 50 Top World Artisan Pizza Chains. 

In 2016, Forés was named Asia's Best Female Chef by the William Reed Media Group—the same group behind the World's 50 Best and Asia's 50 Best Restaurant and Bar lists. Following this, she made the promise to promote Filipino cuisine, "because it's a cause that needs to be shouted out a bit louder. Our time is now. It's the time of the Filipino chef. A Filipina chef!"

And promote it she did. Forés has been an advocate of the farm-to-table movement since 2006, calling for the use of locally sourced organic produce from small, provincial farmers, and adapting the practice too in her restaurants where applicable. She talked frequently about Filipino ingredients, cooking techniques, and other tidbits of local culinary tradition, sharing her knowledge on these subjects with fellow Filipinos and food lovers around the globe. Forés also took opportunities to do collaborations with esteemed chefs from different parts of the world, thus helping propel our cuisine to the global stage.

Margarita Signature Caterer, Forés' catering company, served the likes of celebrities and other high-profile personalities—including His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, and the King and Queen of Spain at the Palacio Real de El Pardo in Madrid in 2007; former US President Barack Obama in 2015; Their Majesty the Emperor and Empress of Japan; and His Serene Highness of Monaco in 2016.

She also opened Casa Artusi Philippines, the very first off-shore campus of Italian gastronomic center and cooking school Casa Artusi.

In 2024, Forés was among the acclaimed food figures who gave talks at the very first United Nations Gastronomy Tourism forum held in Cebu. She also did a number of collaborations with the likes of Hong Kong's Chef Vicky Cheng, and Chef Miko Calo. More recently, Forés had debuted the third branch of Lusso at The Podium in January. She was also set to open her long-awaited restaurant, Margarita, at Ayala Triangle Gardens later this year.